Lord Falconer says that the reputations of innocent teachers should be protected from false accusations of abuse made by children and parents.

"Teachers' lives and reputations are being "trashed" by false allegations of abuse made by children and parents, the lord chancellor said yesterday.

Lord Falconer said the process of investigation could be "utterly ruinous" and mooted changes to the system by which even unfounded accusations have to be recorded. Every effort should be made to protect the anonymity of teachers during inquiries, he said, adding that on "too many occasions" parents and pupils became aware of allegations and the accused teachers were suspended.

Lord Falconer delighted the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) conference in Bournemouth by saying the "rightful concern" for children to be properly protected must be balanced by the fair treatment of teachers when allegations were made and vindication if they were found to be false. If a case has become public knowledge "there needs to be a process where the clearing of a teacher is made clear and public"."

Let us hope that these changes soon come to be agreed upon and implemented. Too many innocent lives have been blighted by false accusations.

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